NEW YORK (AFP) –
Actor Kiefer Sutherland, best known for his leading role in the television series "24", was arrested late on Thursday on suspicion of head-butting a fashion designer at a party in New York.

"He was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge," the duty officer at the New York Police Department told AFP.

Sutherland, who plays special agent Jack Bauer in the high-octane blockbuster series, turned himself in at a Manhattan police station.

The 42-year-old actor was not jailed and remains free prior to a court appearance, the duty officer said. The date of that hearing was not immediately known.

Sutherland allegedly head-butted fashion designer Jack McCullough at a nightclub on Monday following a glamorous event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. McCullough alleges the blow cut his face.

According to unconfirmed newspaper accounts, Sutherland assaulted the designer after McCullough bumped into actress and model Brooke Shields.

Sutherland's legal situation may be complicated by the fact that he is currently on probation for drunk driving. He spent 48 days in jail after that arrest in 2007.

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